Child sexual abuse is an under reported offense in
Nigeria and it is even gradually becoming some sort of epidemic that is
gradually becoming some sort of epidemic that is very difficult to measure. A survey
conducted by the United Nations on demographics and health reported that 10% of
girls might have experienced sexual violence between the ages of 10 - 14years,
30% of girls might experience sexual violence between the ages of 15 - 19years
and in general, about 42% of Nigerian girls experience some sort of sexual
violence.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about a 9 year old girl
that was sexually abused by her next door neighbour (if you missed it catch up here) the case is still in court and has been adjourn to the 16th of
October 2017. The innocent girl was just stepping out to use the toilet when
the neighbour called her and assaulted her. There is no magical way of totally getting rid
of sexual abuse of children but there is one thing that can be done and it is
called PREVENTION.
Preventive methods can be put in place especially
since the sexual abuse happen around the homes and school environments. I was recently
at a training that was conducted by MONA International Children’s Foundation
for facilitators against child sexual abuse, and I will be sharing with you a
few tips that I learnt on how to prevent Child Sexual Abuse.
1. We need to understand that all children are vulnerable no matter your social status. Do not be of the school of thought that it is only children that are less privileged that fall victims of sexual abuse.
2. Sexual predators can come in any form such as pastors, uncles, neighbours and even some fathers however that is not to say that all men are pedophiles or sexual abusers, No! Please don’t get me wrong. All I am trying to say is paedophile and sexual abuser is not written on anybody’s face and by the way most of these sexual abusers, when caught they always say it is their first time. So we need to make sure that our daughter do not fall victim.
3. To prevent sexual abuse, our young girls should not be left alone with a stranger. This is extremely very dangerous as the stranger will commit the act and away with the notion that he absolutely has nothing to lose.
4. Children, most especially the girl child should not be left at home with a young male relative as they are young and can be easily tempted.
5. There should be no room for unnecessary intimacy between the girl child and male family members.
6. Mothers should build a very strong trust bond with their daughters. This point is very important because all children are very vulnerable to sexual abuse but the girl child is at a higher risk. Mothers need to let the girl child understand that they can confide in them. You need to listen to everything she say and even the things that she is not saying. Reading her body language and cajoling her to talk to you even if she isn’t in the mood to do so. When it comes to the issue of sexual assault, parents need to approach the topic with the child in tenderness, patience and affection.
7. We also need to avoid sending young children on errands within the neighbourhood. If you really have to, you need to impose it on them not to go into anybody’s house or cars but directly to where you asked them to go.
8. For Schools, a Child Psychologist should be employed and readily available in every schools so that potential problems in a child can be easily identified and sexual violence can be detected and eradicated in schools.
I will also like to remind us that the concept of sex education shouldn’t be confined to secondary schools alone because children of ages 4, 5, and 6 years are falling victims of sexual assault. We can prevent these by teaching our children early enough about their body parts. They need to know which body part is private and which one isn’t and if anyone tries to touch the 'private part' they should be reported. It should be noted that these predators usually entice the kids by offering them goodies such as sweets, chocolates, money etc. and always threaten them not to tell anybody.
In case you live in Lagos State, Nigeria, the short service code to call in case of child abuse using your mobile phone is ‘6820’
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